Reader Michael Dunn has alerted me to his excellent collection of early, re-mastered, piping recordings. Click on the picture of Willie Ross to hear the maestro play Captain Norman Orr Ewing and the link below for many other tunes. There’s music from the likes of JB Robertson, Robert Reid, Henry Starck (bagpipe maker), John Macdonald, Inverness, Glasgow Police under P/M John MacDonald (1945), and many more. Full play list here…

I cannot see any reason why Colin MacLellan’s judging/teaching proposal should not be given at least a pilot run, a properly monitored assessment over several events. If it doesn’t work, well, fair enough, it’s back to the drawing board. But gather the evidence, examine the pros and cons, and make a fact-based decision. If approved, we then leave it up to the promoters as to whether or not they wish…

There have been ongoing comments since my ‘What Price Forgiveness for P/M Gordon Walker‘ essay in October 2023. It has clearly struck a chord with readers. Most have been in agreement with the sentiments contained therein. There have been ‘contributions’ by ill-informed contrarians intent on indulging their prejudices, but nothing worthy of publication. Their arguments all fell at the first level of ratiocination. The Rev. Leslie Barrett, the noted amateur…